Somebeachsomewhere, newly-installed into the Living Harness Horse Hall of Fame, sired three of the five winners in the first round of the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes for two-year-old pacing colts Wednesday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
The trio of winners by the great horse included two Ron Burke trainees: Check Six (out of Southwind Vanna), who quarter-moved to the top then snapped home in :55.4 - :27.3 to tally in 1:53.4 for driver Matt Kakaley and owners Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi, William Switala and James Martin; along with 3 Brothers Stables' JK Will Power (whose dam is Whats New Pussycat), who paced an individual last quarter of :27.1 to be a 1:54.2 "pocket rocket" for pilot Yannick Gingras.
The other Somebeachsomewhere winner was Canadian invader Carter Beach (dam: Flaming Diablo), who was in the "feature division," which contained three of the five Pennsylvania All-Star winners earlier this month. But in his first start south of the border, Carter Beach showed his mettle by grinding uncovered in a :56.1 last half to post a neck triumph in 1:53.4 for driver Jody Jamieson and trainer/father Carl, the latter co-owner with Thomas Kyron and George Harrison.
Neither the fastest winner or the longest-priced winner was a son of "Somebeach," however. Speed honours went in the opening division to the Western Ideal-Stolly Up Bluechip colt Spider Man Hanover, who produced a superhero-like :27.1 brush to the lead in the third quarter to win in 1:52.1 for driver David Miller, trainer Brian Brown, and owners Country Club Acres, Kenneth Vauper, Mike Mallett, and Milton Leeman.
50-1 shot Whata Twist, last and gapping at the half, and then shoved four-wide late on the far turn due to chain-reaction interference, still managed to rally in the final strides for a 1:53 triumph. The Quik Pulse Mindale-Passage colt, driven by Brett Miller for trainer Chris Ryder, co-owner with Diamond Creek Racing, lived up to his name by producing a $107 return for a $2 win investment to his scattered backers.
(PHHA / Pocono)